OCA is Disappointed with the Confirmation of Betsy DeVos

WASHINGTON, D.C. - OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates is disappointed with the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education.

On Tuesday, Betsy DeVos was confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Education in a historic 50-50 tie vote that was broken by Vice President Mike Pence.

"From the beginning, OCA was concerned with DeVos' nomination to the Secretary of Education post due to her complete lack of experience in the public education space, and her record of supporting beliefs and school choice models inconsistent of civil rights and education equality," commented Vicki Shu, OCA Vice President of Public Affairs. "DeVos demonstrates no knowledge of the barriers English Language Learner students face in educational attainment. With one in three Asian American and Pacific Islanders classified as ELL, nearly nine million AAPIs speaking another language at home, and increasing AAPI student enrollment in public schools, DeVos' lack of solutions for the concerns of these students is extremely concerning. We are especially worried that DeVos' lack of understanding displayed during her confirmation hearing of education attainment of ELLs and of her promise to defund Title I schools through voucher models that divests from public education."

"Despite this outcome, we are proud of advocates, including our many members who fought against the confirmation of Secretary DeVos. We will continue to remain engaged in holding her accountable during her service and hope that Secretary DeVos will look beyond her past advocacy, learn more about and implement policies that address the diverse needs of the 2.6 million Asian American and Pacific Islander students currently enrolled in our nation's public schools," concluded Shu.

OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national organization of community advocates dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs).